Trending in Beijing: Spring Festival Traffic, Gavin Eating Chinese Snacks, and Living a Cashless Day
The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this: a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.
1) The "Great Spring Festival Migration of 2019"
This year, (say it with me in a booming and not at all tired and cliched voice), "the world's largest migration of people" is expected to last a total of 40 days, having started on Jan 21 and ending on Mar 1. The railway administration forecasts that 15.5 million people from the Beijing area will be on the move during the peak travel season.
Over on Weibo, 4.4 million users have already followed the hashtag #北京2019春运# (Beijing 2019 Spring Festival migration), which encourages netizens to share curious, fun, or touching stories that they encounter while traveling back home.
One video under the hashtag was made by New Capital Paper (Xinjing Bao), who looked beyond the statistics and asked 111 people at Beijing railway stations about how they spent CNY 2018 and what hopes they hold for the coming Year of the Pig. While some said their past year was good, others claimed there was nothing that made them happy in 2018 and stressed instead that they really miss home.
Regarding the coming year, numerous travelers expressed hope and said they expect to make more money, have good health, more academic achievements, as well as looking forward to finally finding Mr. or Mrs. right.
2) Gavin tries Chinese snacks
We tend to enjoy strange Chinese snacks here at the Beijinger. However, we've found that gifting 辣条 (là tiáo, spicy strips of gluten) or 鱼香豆腐 (yúxiāng dòufu, fish-flavored tofu) does not always elicit the same level of excitement from our friends back home.
Known as a "Fake Smile Boy" in China, Gavin Thomas is not only the star of many an internet meme and sticker but is now also a Weibo celebrity. In one of his latest videos, Gavin and his uncle Nick (who is quite obviously just monetizing his nephew's success since he possesses no visible charm of his own) try an arsenal Chinese snacks. They sample classics such as White Rabbit candy, sweetened milk, beef jerky, caramelized sunflower seeds, and other usual 7/11 finds. Gavin, flexing his soft power might, at one point exclaims, "Mom, I want more 水 (shuǐ, water)."
Besides the expected outcries of "so cute" and "thank you Gavin and Uncle," some Weibo users riffed on the importance of healthy diet, writing "all those snacks increase the risk of tooth decay. Don't forget to brush your teeth later."
3) A Japanese journalist spends a cashless day in Beijing
Cash? What is cash? Mobile payments have become such a natural part of our lives that we're now wont to forgetting PIN codes for the bank cards (I don't even know where mine is) and fail to realize just how good we have it.
A Japanese journalist recently traveled to Beijing to document his day without cash, using only his mobile phone to order and pay for goods. The hashtag #日本记者被中国无现金社会惊呆# (Japanese journalist amazed by China's cashless society) under which the video was posted already has almost 3 million views.
The journalist starts his day by renting a Mobike in order to get and pay for a meal at a restaurant. He then hails a ride using Didi to Sanyuanli Market. After stocking up on vegetables, he heads to a convenience store and uses facial recognition to pay. All in all, he boggled at the ease of his experience. However, one user was quick to provide some advice: "Whether you bring cash when go out is not important, just don't forget your power bank!"
To see more stories that have been trending in China recently, click here.
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Email: tautviledaugelaite@thebeijinger.com
Images: Weibo
